New Delhi: The waiting time for orthopaedic surgeries at AIIMS, New Delhi has significantly increased, doubling from a gruelling six months to an even more agonising 12 months. This dire situation is attributed to the alarmingly low functionality of the operation theatres, leaving countless patients in a state of despair and uncertainty.
Officials said that only four to five of the seven operation theatres are functional due to the anaesthesia department’s inability to man all the OTs. The number of daily surgeries has reduced from 30 to 20, leading to a backlog and longer wait times.
While urgent cases, such as tumour operations and cauda equina in the spine, receive emergency classification, the substantial delays in scheduled procedures particularly affect disadvantaged patients who travel from distant areas. According to orthopaedic surgeons, the inability to maintain routine surgical schedules led to an ever-increasing waitlist.
Although orthopaedic surgeons formally brought this issue to the director’s attention in Oct, and Prof Nirupam Madan, the medical superintendent, issued an authorisation on Nov 23 for the use of all seven operating theatres, the surgical team continues to face restrictions when trying to operate all theatres simultaneously.
In the letter written to the director, faculty members from the orthopaedic department stated, “This is to express our profound concern regarding the current operational status at the orthopaedic operation theatres which appear to be adversely affected since July 2024. The anaesthesia team is currently allocating only four or five operation theatres for our use, resulting in many of our patients being unable to undergo necessary surgeries. Many anaesthesia faculty members have communicated to the orthopaedic faculty that they are willing to accommodate all seven OTs at any given time but are constrained by the directives of the head of the department of anaesthesia.”
In their correspondence, orthopaedic department academics expressed concern that the substantial decrease affects both healthcare delivery and results in inefficient use of taxpayer-funded facilities. They emphasised the necessity to fully utilise these resources to provide optimal service to the patients.
The orthopaedic operation theatres underwent renovation in 2018 with an approximate investment of Rs 20 crore, according to sources. “Under the guidance of former heads of the anaesthesia department—Dr Lokesh Kashyap, Dr Rajeshwari Subramaniam—all seven OTs functioned at full capacity…The department achieved remarkable success in managing numerous complex surgical procedures and delivering outstanding patient care, owing to this collaborative effort,” said faculty members from the orthopaedic department.
A senior physician informed TOI that this occurred due to insufficient faculty members and senior resident doctors in the anaesthesia department. During the previous year, five faculty members resigned, two retired, and approximately 15 senior resident doctors departed from the institute owing to overwhelming patient numbers.
When approached, the media in-charge at AIIMS, Prof Rima Dada, stated that the institute was actively recruiting staff across all positions because several new blocks had been established, leading to increased demands. She added that ensuring patient safety was their highest priority.
